Content creation has accrued massive interaction from digital consumers in the Internet age. Its ability to distributed across diverse digital platforms prompts the virality of content . This is where URLs come in. Most URLs are hefty and look unorganized, but with these 5 Best Free URL Shortening Tools, you can have cleaner URLs.
High-quality links optimize your content by driving clicks and engagement and are a great content marketing strategy, thus, you might want to keep your links short and shed off the fluff that may give it the appearance of a spam link and deter users from clicking.
Lengthy URLs that contain undue numbers and letters could be incomprehensible, vague, and unreflective of your brand or content. For example, a URL with a simpler appearance such as this; https://www.mywebsite.com/5-cleaning-equipments-for-a-farmhouse, will generate more clicks than one laden with unnecessary letters and figures such as this; https://mywebsite.com/5-cleaning-equipments-for-a-farmhouse/2023/4/4=PAAaVkOxFXKHZUYAqYxLZo4DQH14556y.
It is best to keep links concise and unambiguous. This can easily be achieved with the use of URL shorteners. URL shorteners convert long, obscure links into concise and distinct links. Since there are many URL shortener tools out there, it may be difficult to pick one which is free and aligns with your preference. Thus, this article will provide you with the 5 Best Free URL Shortener Tools.
What Is a URL Shortener?
In simple terms, a URL shortener is an online tool that transforms a long, complex link into a short, legible, and user-friendly link, sending the user to the desired web page. Some URL shorteners go as far as giving you detailed link analytics and history which helps you track your Key Performance Indicators (KPI).
3 Benefits of a Link Shortener
1. Promotes text compatibility on digital platforms
Have you ever tried to share a link on a platform with a limited character count? That must surely have been frustrating. The reality is platforms like Twitter allow a limited character count of 280 words. This can be restricting especially when you have so much to say but are limited due to your bulky URL. Shortening tools compress hefty links and give them a shorter and visually appealing look
2. Boosts brand image
Hefty links not only look unappealing, but they also look spammy and suspicious. URL shorteners make links brief and give your brand a cleaner and more trustworthy look. Moreover, users are more inclined to click on links that look familiar or authentic.
3. Tracking features
Most URL shortening tools that afford users link analytics, do so through their premium plans. However, as will be seen subsequently, there are a few link shorteners that provide this service on a free plan. Analytical features enable you to track the number of clicks your link is getting, what devices your viewers are using, and where the clicks are coming from. With this information, you can devise a more befitting marketing strategy, going forward.
5 Best Free URL Shortening Tools
1. Bitly
At the top of our list is Bitly – a link-shortening service that has scaled up to become the most well-known and preferred shortening tool out there. Its repute is of course due to its delivery of top-quality features on both its free and paid plans. This is one of the best 5 Best Free URL Shortening Tools.
It doesn’t require you to create an account to begin using it and provides a swift approach to creating short links. Likewise, through its analytics dashboard, you can develop suitable brand campaigns and track your link performance. With a free account, you can shorten a maximum of 10 links per month and replace the back halves of 5 links with whatever you may wish.
You can also create QR codes for your links. Its paid version offers more extended features like; link redirection, custom domains, and access to click and scan data.
Features of Bitly
- QR codes
- Link-in-bio
- UTM builder
Bitly Princing Plans
- Free Plan
- Starter: $14/month with annual billing of $168
- Basic: $29/month with annual billing of $348
- Premium: $199/month with annual billing of $2,388
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
2. Cuttly
Cuttly is a link management platform that offers URL-shortening services. Like Bitly, users do not need to sign up before gaining access to its link-shortening services. A sign-up is only required where you want to harness other link management functions. What’s more? By operating Cuttly’s free plan, you are allowed to create branded domains and generate QR codes for your links. Plus, you are entitled to unlimited link redirections.
Features of Cuttly
- Branded domains
- Link analytics history
- Bulk Shortening (CSV)
- Link redirection
Cuttly Pricing Plans
- Free plan
- Single: $22.91/month with annual billing of $275
- Team: $90.75/month with annual billing of $1089
- Team Enterprise: $136.58 with annual billing of $1639
3. Rebrandly
The highly-acclaimed URL shortener tool, Rebrandly, stands on an equal footing with brands like Bitly and Cutly for noteworthy reasons. First, Rebrandly’s free services contain an array of quality features that are typically contained in the premium plans of other brands e.g. you get 500 branded links and about 5000 clicks tracking per month.
Rebrandly affords users comprehensive link history and analytics such as; the devices visiting your links, the hour of visitation, countries these users are from, etc. It is the best shortening tool for customizing and branding your URL and allows you to register a custom domain to be used with every shortened link you create.
Features of Rebrandly
- 301 redirects
- QR codes
- UTM builder
- Link search
- Unlimited fast redirects
Rebrandly Pricing Plans
- Free plan
- Starter: $24/month with annual billing of $288
- Pro plan: $58/month with annual billing of $696
- Premium: $416/month with annual billing of $4,992
- Enterprise: Custom
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4. Short.io
With Short.io’s free plan, you get five custom domains and in-depth statistics on the destination of the users clicking your link and the device that is being used. Overall, you get to monitor your link performance. You are equally offered relevant features such as Link automation and Link redirection. The features afforded in the free plan are quite decent, especially for new business owners.
Features of Short.io
- Integration with tools like Zapier
- Link Automation
- Branded links
Short.io Pricing Plans
- Free plan
- Personal: 19/month
- Team: $49/month
- Enterprise: $149/month
5. TinyURL
Finally, Tiny URL. This shortening tool is quite generous with its packages. For example, its free plan offers users unlimited access to create shortened URLs as well as unlimited clicks on URLs – this is unlike other shortening tools. With Tiny URL, you can customize your links and keep track of your links through its analytics feature. Plus, its links do not expire.
Features of TinyURL
- Custom Alias
- Unlimited shortened URLs
- Option to personalize vanity domain
- Link analytics
TinyURL Pricing Plans
- Free plan
- Pro: $9.99/month with annual billing of $119.88
- Bulk 100K: $99.00/month with annual billing of $1,188.00
Long URLs could negatively impact SEO and your overall content marketing. Your shareable links are basically the commute between readers and your content. Hence, employing best URL practices that could drive engagement and content circulation is important. Our 5 Best Free URL Shortening Tools are the hack for ensuring a clean and visually appealing URL that could drive engagement and enhance your brand image.